ONE Championship

ABS-CBN Sports on Jan 14, 2019 11:10 AM

"I don't see any weaknesses in Saruta. The more well-rounded mixed martial artist who is capable of mixing up strikes and takedowns would end up winning this bout. It's just a matter of who gets to land first."

Joshua "The Passion" Pacio knows that he has little room for error when he defends his ONE Strawweight World Title for the first time against Japan's Yosuke "Tobizaru" Saruta.

The collision course between the top two strawweights in the world is set to headline ONE: ETERNAL GLORY, which is set to be held at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia on 19 January.

Saruta announced his arrival in the talent-rich division when he pulled the upset rug on former world champion Alex “Little Rock” Silva in his debut at ONE: DESTINY OF CHAMPIONS last December.

That win definitely got the world’s attention, especially Pacio’s.

"Saruta is a well-rounded athlete, I watched his bout against Alex Silva. He has power in his punches and has good offensive and defensive wrestling,” said Pacio.

Unknown to many at the time, Saruta surprised the world when he dominated the Brazilian sensation en route to a clear-cut unanimous decision victory in his very first contest in The Home of Martial Arts.

The 23-year old Team Lakay standout was one of the thousands of observers that evening, and he knew right then and there that it's only a matter of time until he meets "Tobizaru" across the cage.

"He is both explosive and cautious. He's not the type who would just move forward because he has good timing and can wait to cleanly land his power punches,” said Pacio.

While familiar with Japanese foes especially after winning the Strawweight World Title against Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito at ONE: CONQUEST OF HEROES this past September, Pacio said Saruta’s similarities with the former champion ends there.

Saruta is a lot more aggressive in pushing the action on the feet, while also well-rounded enough to mix up his point of attack with takedowns.

“The Passion” sees no weak point in his opponent, and that is why he will be threading that match with utmost precision.

"He mostly throws crosses and hooks, so I have to try to counter with straight punches and mix my kicks properly," Pacio stressed.

"I don't see any weaknesses in Saruta. The more well-rounded mixed martial artist who is capable of mixing up strikes and takedowns would end up winning this bout. It's just a matter of who gets to land first."

While this is just Saruta’s second match in the organization, Pacio said that Saruta deserves to be in the position, and he expects nothing but the best from the 31-year-old veteran from Kawaguchi City.

"He was a champion in another organization, who just defeated a former world champion in his ONE Championship debut. He is without a doubt one of the best in this division.”